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Hannah Wang

First-Year Undergraduate

2019

Writing ‘Kids in the Basement’ forced me to challenge ideas that I had as an esports fan and online community administrator instead of just finding books to reinforce my previous perceptions.

Hannah Wang

Kids in the Basement: Space and Virtuality in American and South Korean Esports

Research project for First-Year Seminar 002: Course-based Undergraduate Research Experience: Games of Resistance–Why Play Matters in Post-Colonial South Korea

Read Hannah’s Paper (pdf)

Project Description

Wang’s paper seeks to answer the question of why esports, or professional video gaming, has not achieved greater mainstream popularity in America. Her comparative analysis of American gaming, American athletic sports, and gaming in Korea – the esports capital of the world – draws on diverse sources including books on gaming, sports and theories of social space; news articles; and even an interview she conducted with a professional Korean esports athlete.

In Their Own Words

Read Hannah’s reflective essay from their Lang Prize application.